Category: Houseplants

Tis the season for ornamental peppers. Their fruit, in shades of orange, lavender, pink, purple, red or white, adds drama to the garden or containers. Ornamental peppers also bloom before the fruit, but their small flowers don’t get the rave reviews their fruits elicit as they parade themselves in clusters at the top of the… Continue reading Ornamental Peppers are Hot!

Last week, while in Ft. Lauderdale to attend the Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE), I spent a most wonderful day with two lovely and generous people – Justin Hancock of Costa Farms and Stacey Pierson of Garden Media Group – at Costa Farms. Costa Farms is a third-generation, family-owned grower of tropical plants, houseplants, annuals… Continue reading Visit to Costa Farms

What gardener wouldn’t love a tropical paradise in January? None I know. I have wanted to experience the Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) produced by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) for many years, but other events or commitments on or near the same dates prevented me from attending. This year I made… Continue reading TPIE – A Tropical Paradise

When Joel Roberts Poinsett, ambassador to Mexico in the 1820’s, took cuttings from a plant he found growing in the Mexican countryside he couldn’t have guessed the role this plant would play at Christmastime. The poinsettia has become synonymous with the holidays. Today, they are available in shades of red, burgundy, rose, pink, and white… Continue reading Caring for Poinsettias

The Christmas cactus, or Schlumbergera bridgesii as it is botanically named, is a familiar sight at stores and garden centers this time of year. It has unique, flattened, segmented foliage and brightly colored, exotic blooms in red, coral, purple, pink, yellow or white. Unlike other cacti that are native to dry deserts, the Christmas cactus… Continue reading Grow a Christmas Cactus